NASA used images from the Hubble Space Telescope to create their own version of the Messier catalog.
Band Filling Control of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction in Weakly Ferromagnetic Insulators
Author(s): G. Beutier, S. P. Collins, O. V. Dimitrova, V. E. Dmitrienko, M. I. Katsnelson, Y. O. Kvashnin, A. I. Lichtenstein, V. V. Mazurenko, A. G. A. Nisbet, E. N. Ovchinnikova, and D. PinciniThe evolution of the sign of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya in…
Coulometry and Calorimetry of Electric Double Layer Formation in Porous Electrodes
Author(s): Mathijs Janssen, Elian Griffioen, P. M. Biesheuvel, René van Roij, and Ben ErnéTwo new experimental techniques that make coulometric and calorimetric measurements of porous electrodes are used to obtain the entropic contribution to the grand…
Observation of Optomechanical Strain in a Cold Atomic Cloud
Author(s): Noam Matzliah, Hagai Edri, Asif Sinay, Roee Ozeri, and Nir DavidsonLaser light can stretch and squeeze a whole cloud of atoms with a collective force.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 163201] Published Thu Oct 19, 2017
Niels Bohri eestikeelse kogumiku “Filosoofilised mõtted” esitlus
Teisipäeval, 24. oktoobril 2017, kell 16:15 TÜ Physicumis, W. Ostwaldi 1 – A106 toimub Niels Bohri eestikeelse kogumiku “Filosoofilised mõtted” esitlus. Kogumikku on valitud aatomi ehituse kvantteooria autori, Nobeli 1922. aasta füüsikapreemia laureaadi Niels Bohri artiklid, mis tutvustavad tema vaateid kvantteooriale ja sellest aru saamisele ning kvantfüüsika printsiipide seostele inimtegevuse teiste valdkondadega. Raamatus on viis osa: […]
Interview: the buzz of discovery
Daven Armoogum is a teaching fellow at the Physics Department in UCL, where he motivates
undergraduate students in their practical work. David Richardson interviewed him to find out how his
passion for astronomy lead him to this position.
Interview: Interview: the buzz of discovery
Daven Armoogum is a teaching fellow at the Physics Department in UCL, where he motivates
undergraduate students in their practical work. David Richardson interviewed him to find out how his
passion for astronomy lead him to this position.
Force, acceleration and velocity during trampoline jumps—a challenging assignment
Bouncing on a trampoline lets the jumper experience the interplay between weightlessness and large
forces on the body, as the motion changes between free fall and large acceleration in contact with
the trampoline bed. In this work, several groups of …
NASA Damage Map Aids California Wildfire Response
A NASA team has mapped areas in northern California likely damaged by the recent wildfires, for use in the wildfire response.
Deep Space Communications via Faraway Photons
A spacecraft destined to explore a unique asteroid will also test new communication hardware that uses lasers instead of radio waves.
Galileo inside
Technology image of the week: Europe’s Galileo satnav system at work on smartphones
Quantum criticality and the Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid in one-dimensional Bose gases
Author(s): Bing Yang, Yang-Yang Chen, Yong-Guang Zheng, Hui Sun, Han-Ning Dai, Xi-Wen Guan, Zhen-Sheng Yuan, and Jian-Wei PanThe Tomonaga-Luttinger theory describing one-dimensional materials has been tested with cold atoms and arrays of Josephson junc…
Insulating Josephson Junction Chains as Pinned Luttinger Liquids
Author(s): Karin Cedergren, Roger Ackroyd, Sergey Kafanov, Nicolas Vogt, Alexander Shnirman, and Timothy DutyThe Tomonaga-Luttinger theory describing one-dimensional materials has been tested with cold atoms and arrays of Josephson junctions.[Phys. Rev…
Gravitational Waves Show How Fast The Universe is Expanding
The first gravitational wave observed from a neutron star merger offers the potential for a whole raft of new discoveries. Among them is a more precise measurement of the Hubble constant, which captures how fast our universe is expanding.
Ever since th…
Monsoons of methane on Titan
Titan experiences torrential downpours of methane rain, which help shape the surface of the alien world.
Speeding up cancer screening
Delivering breast cancer screening results in a day instead of today’s standard two weeks is being proposed by an ESA incubator start-up company using paperless technology and online image transfers. Screening vans are already on the stree…
Space2Health: the hackathon
What better way to show your love of science than entering a hackathon? Organised by the Merck science and technology company, alongside ESA, the Space2Health hackathon recently attracted a set of talented individuals who crunched numbers …
Testing for Mars
Human spaceflight and robotic exploration image of the week: Underground excavation
Are Gravitational Waves Spinning Down PSR $\mathrm{J}1023+0038$?
Author(s): B. Haskell and A. PatrunoA pulsar PSR J1023+0038 switches between two states that have different spin-down rates. A new analysis suggests that this discrepancy may be due to gravitational wave emission.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 161103] Publishe…
Dynamo Action in a Quasi-Keplerian Taylor-Couette Flow
Author(s): Anna Guseva, Rainer Hollerbach, Ashley P. Willis, and Marc AvilaNumerical evidence is provided for self-sustaining dynamo action in a confined electrically conducting fluid, such as an astrophysical accretion disc.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 1645…
Fire threatens Mount Wilson Observatory
Firefighters are battling to keep the 30-acre blaze from reaching the observatory’s historic equipment.
Astronomers Tally All the Gold in Our Galaxy
Before “he went to Jared,” two neutron stars collided.
That’s what scientists learned from studying the debris fallout after a cosmic explosion called a kilonova — 1,000 times brighter than a standard nova — which appeared…
Watching Ophelia
Sentinel-3A took Ophelia’s temperature as the storm moved towards the British Isles
Webcam on Mars Express surveys high-altitude clouds
An unprecedented catalogue of more than 21 000 images taken by a webcam on ESA’s Mars Express is proving its worth as a science instrument, providing a global survey of unusual high-altitude cloud features on the Red Planet.
ESA role in Europe’s first all-electric telecom satellite
Europe’s first all-electric telecom satellite has reached its final working orbit above the Pacific Ocean. Eutelsat-172B, built for Eutelsat by Airbus, carries new technologies developed through ESA-led projects, including fully articulate…
Fresh Findings From Cassini
New insights from the Saturn spacecraft’s exploration are being presented this week at the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Science meeting.
NASA Missions Catch First Light from a Gravitational-Wave Event
For the first time, NASA scientists have detected light tied to a gravitational-wave event.
Integral sees blast travelling with gravitational waves
ESA’s Integral satellite recently played a crucial role in discovering the flash of gamma rays linked to the gravitational waves released by the collision of two neutron stars.
ESA takes the reins of the Disasters Charter
When disaster strikes, a group of international space agencies pools its resources and expertise to support relief efforts on the ground. For the next six months, ESA will be leading the International Charter Space and Major Disasters as i…
Sentinel-5P: satellite in excellent health
Launched last week, Europe’s Sentinel-5P satellite – the first Copernicus mission dedicated to monitoring the air we breathe – is in excellent health.
GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral
Author(s): B. P. Abbott et al. (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration)For the first time, researchers have detected both light and gravitational waves from the same event in space.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 161101] Published Mon Oct 16, 2017
Revealing Quantum Statistics with a Pair of Distant Atoms
Author(s): C. F. Roos, A. Alberti, D. Meschede, P. Hauke, and H. HäffnerA proposed set of experiments could offer a direct measurement of the fundamental quantum property that distinguishes fermions from bosons.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 160401] Published …
LIGO Detects a Neutron Star Merger
New LIGO discovery is an astronomer’s dream come true.
Dawn of an Era: Astronomers Hear and See Cosmic Collision
For hundreds of millions of years, two city-sized stars in a galaxy not-so-far away circled each other in a fatal dance. Their dimensions were diminutive, but each outweighed our sun.
They were neutron stars — the collapsed cores left behind afte…
Blue Mars
Space Science Image of the Week: A cloudy day over volcanic Mars, captured by the ExoMars orbiter
NASA Seeks Information from Potential Funders for Spitzer
NASA is seeking information from U.S. parties interested in operating the Spitzer Space Telescope with non-NASA funding after March 2019, when NASA financial support ends.
Week in Images
Our week through the lens: 9-13 October 2017
Revisit the launch event
From ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands, watch the replay of the event to celebrate the launch of the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite, dedicated to monitoring our atmosphere
Air quality-monitoring satellite in orbit
The first Copernicus mission dedicated to monitoring our atmosphere, Sentinel‑5P, has been launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.
Topological Hopf and Chain Link Semimetal States and Their Application to ${\mathrm{Co}}_{2}\mathrm{Mn}\text{G}\text{a}$
Author(s): Guoqing Chang, Su-Yang Xu, Xiaoting Zhou, Shin-Ming Huang, Bahadur Singh, Baokai Wang, Ilya Belopolski, Jiaxin Yin, Songtian Zhang, Arun Bansil, Hsin Lin, and M. Zahid HasanA new topological semimetal state is predicted, featuring three-dime…
Scalable Creation of Long-Lived Multipartite Entanglement
Author(s): H. Kaufmann, T. Ruster, C. T. Schmiegelow, M. A. Luda, V. Kaushal, J. Schulz, D. von Lindenfels, F. Schmidt-Kaler, and U. G. PoschingerA four-qubit entangled state is created in a scalable ion trap system, with fidelity exceeding 90%.[Phys. …
Astronomy without light
Gravitational waves let us see the invisible universe in new ways.
Ok, so what’s really going on with Tabby’s Star?
There’s no shortage of ideas. Here are a few of the scenarios explored.
Liftoff replay
Watch the replay of the Sentinel-5P launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia
Rocket motor for Ariane 6 and Vega-C is cast for testing
The first full-scale model of the rocket motor that will propel Ariane 6 and Vega-C into orbit has been cast and filled with inert propellant for testing at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
Plesetsk, Russia
Earth observation image of the week: Northeastern Russia and the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, from where the Sentinel-5P satellite is set for launch today
New Insights From OCO-2 Showcased in Science
OCO-2 data are revealing subtle ways that carbon links everything on Earth, as demonstrated by a diverse special collection of research papers in the journal Science.
NASA Pinpoints Cause of Earth’s Recent Record Carbon Dioxide Spike
A new NASA study provides space-based evidence Earth’s tropical regions were the cause of the largest annual increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide in at least 2,000 years.
Hurricane Ophelia
The Sentinel-3 satellite captured Hurricane Ophelia as it gains strength over the Atlantic Ocean
Asteroid Luca
ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano has been on Earth since his mission to the International Space Station in 2013, but “Lucaparmitano” is now back in space thanks to an Italian astronomer.
Spectroscopy and Directed Transport of Topological Solitons in Crystals of Trapped Ions
Author(s): J. Brox, P. Kiefer, M. Bujak, T. Schaetz, and H. LandaResearchers have directed the motion of a domain-wall-like topological defect through a crystal of trapped ions.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 153602] Published Thu Oct 12, 2017
The first pixel of a galactic selfie
Astronomers have nearly doubled the previous record for a distance measurement within our galaxy, paving the way for a full galactic map.
This weirdo dwarf planet has a ring around it
The Kuiper Belt object Haumea has been hiding something from us.
Acquiring signals
Operations image of the week: ESA’s antenna in Sweden will be the first to catch signals from Sentinel-5P in space tomorrow
Global space
Tackling future challenges. Watch the Global Space Economic Workshop in Paris 13 October, streaming live from 09:00 CEST
Reconstructing Cassini’s Plunge into Saturn
Shorter tease: Analysis of science data from the spacecraft’s final plunge is ongoing, but Cassini engineers already have a clear understanding of how the spacecraft behaved during its dive.
Giant Exoplanet Hunters: Look for Debris Disks
A study finds that giant exoplanets that orbit far from their stars are more likely to be found around young stars that have a disk of dust and debris than those without disks.
California fires
Sentinel-3 captured smoke from a recent outbreak of wildfires in the US state of California as they spread to the Pacific coast
How a Small Quantum Bath Can Thermalize Long Localized Chains
Author(s): David J. Luitz, François Huveneers, and Wojciech De RoeckNumerical simulations show that an imperfection as small as three units can destabilize the many-body localized phase of a one-dimensional chain.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 150602] Publishe…
Astronomers spot one of the brightest novae ever
These new stars aren’t new at all —but they still have a story to tell.
Test site sightseeing
Technology image of the week: A young visitor explores ESA’s satellite test centre during Open Day
Watch Sentinel-5P launch
Follow the Sentinel-5P launch live from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia on 13 October. Streaming begins at 09:00 GMT (11:00 CEST), with liftoff scheduled at 09:27 GMT (11:27 CEST)
Follow the launch event
Live from ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands, follow the event leading up to the launch of Sentinel-5P. Streaming begins at 08:30 GMT (10:30 CEST)
Secrets of hidden ice canyons revealed
We are all aware that Antarctica’s ice shelves are thinning, but recently scientists have also discovered huge canyons cutting through the underbelly of these shelves, potentially making them even more fragile. Thanks to the CryoSat and Se…
This is a Test: Asteroid Tracking Network Observes Close Approach
A small space rock is being used by asteroid trackers around the world to test an international warning network.
NASA Announces Briefing on Carbon Mission Science Results
NASA will hold a media teleconference at 11 a.m. PDT (2 p.m. EDT) Thursday, Oct. 12, to discuss new research to be published this week on changing global levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
New crew and new research in Antarctica
The Concordia research station in Antarctica is a place of extremes: for nine months no supplies can be delivered, the nearest living beings are 600 km away at the Russian Vostok station, and the Sun does not rise above the horizon for fou…
Weightless Wishes
The Rêves de Gosse association, together with ESA and Novespace, helped to provide children with disabilities the opportunity to experience weightlessness and lunar gravity on aircraft flights.
Ready to assume control of Sentinel-5P
Mission controllers completed a critical final rehearsal today, confirming that everything and everyone on ground are ready to take over control of Sentinel-5P in the harsh environment of space.
Giant Quantum Hall Plateau in Graphene Coupled to an InSe van der Waals Crystal
Author(s): Z. R. Kudrynskyi, M. A. Bhuiyan, O. Makarovsky, J. D. G. Greener, E. E. Vdovin, Z. D. Kovalyuk, Y. Cao, A. Mishchenko, K. S. Novoselov, P. H. Beton, L. Eaves, and A. PatanèInduced transfer of charge carriers is demonstrated in a graphene-bas…
Generating Single-Spike Hard X-Ray Pulses with Nonlinear Bunch Compression in Free-Electron Lasers
Author(s): S. Huang, Y. Ding, Y. Feng, E. Hemsing, Z. Huang, J. Krzywinski, A. A. Lutman, A. Marinelli, T. J. Maxwell, and D. ZhuX-ray free-electron lasers have been used to generate single spikes of hard x rays that are only 200 attoseconds long.[Phys…
FOXSI may reveal why Sun’s corona is so hot
Small explosions called “nanoflares” may explain why parts of the Sun’s corona can reach tens of millions of degrees.
Round and round they go
Human Spaceflight and robotic exploration image of the week: Spacewalking astronauts
Sentinel-5P poised for liftoff
With four days to liftoff, the next Sentinel satellite is now on the launch pad at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.
Precision Measurement of the Electron’s Electric Dipole Moment Using Trapped Molecular Ions
Author(s): William B. Cairncross, Daniel N. Gresh, Matt Grau, Kevin C. Cossel, Tanya S. Roussy, Yiqi Ni, Yan Zhou, Jun Ye, and Eric A. CornellNew precision experiments using trapped molecular ions provide an alternative method for determining if the el…
New research helps solve galactic murders
Why do galaxies stop making stars?
Patchwork geology
Space Science Image of the Week: This colourful patchwork maps geological features on Mercury, destination for our upcoming BepiColombo mission
2017.a. EFS loodus- ja täppisteaduste sügiskool
Taas on aeg hakata valmistuma EFS loodus- ja täppisteaduste sügiskooliks! Selleaastane Sügiskool toimub Voore Puhkekeskuses Jõgevamaal 3.-5. novembril. Kavas on mitmed haaravad loengud, vahvad vahepalad, mälumäng ning õhtuseks lõõgastumisek on meie päralt suitsusaun, soomesaun ja kümblustünn! KAVA Korraldavad FÜS, BÜS ja EFS. Korraldustoimkond: Moorits Mihkel Muru Karoliine Kurvits Kaido Reivelt
Mars Study Yields Clues to Possible Cradle of Life
The discovery of evidence for ancient sea-floor hydrothermal deposits on Mars identifies an area on the planet that may offer clues about the origin of life on Earth.
To Mars with ESA and the Guggenheim Bilbao

ESA and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, with the BBK Foundation, are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Spanish arts centre with a performance of Chasmata, a journey to Mars through contemporary art, music and architecture. Monday’s concert can be seen online starting at 18:30 GMT (20:30 CEST).
Week in Images
Our week through the lens: 2-6 October 2017
GW170814: A Three-Detector Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Coalescence
Author(s): B. P. Abbott et al. (LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration)The first simultaneous detection of gravitational radiation by the LIGO and Virgo detectors greatly improves localization of the source and permits a novel test of ge…
The Moon’s ancient atmosphere
For nearly 70 million years, the Moon had an atmosphere formed by volcanic gas.
Earth from Space

Join us Friday, 6 October, at 10:00 CEST for the ‘Earth from Space’ video programme
Shooting star
Operations image of the week: A meteoroid burns up in the atmosphere as seen over Ermelo, the Netherlands
Inducing and Manipulating Heteroelectronic States in a Single ${\mathrm{MoS}}_{2}$ Thin Flake
Author(s): Q. H. Chen, J. M. Lu, L. Liang, O. Zheliuk, A. Ali, P. Sheng, and J. T. YeElectric fields applied on either side of a thin, semiconducting transition-metal dichalcogenide create a superconducting layer atop a metallic layer within the materi…
Colourful dunes on wind-swept Mars

Dunes are prominent indicators of prevailing winds, as can be seen on this crater floor on Mars, imaged by ESA’s Mars Express on 16 May.
Spinning top—the question
The motion of a spinning top can be mystifying at times until some basic principles are understood.
In this question the key to understanding what happens is the nature of the bottom tip of the top in
contact with the surface on which it spins.
Aluminium and magnetism—the answer
In my article (Featonby 2017 Phys. Educ . 52 057001). A strong neodymium magnet is held over some
Japanese yen and some aluminum drinks can stay-tabs. The magnet is first withdrawn very slowly from
the piles. It is then raised quickly. The question w…
Examining Mars’ Moon Phobos in a Different Light
NASA’s longest-lived mission to Mars has gained its first look at the Martian moon Phobos, pursuing a deeper understanding by examining it in infrared wavelengths.
The Super-Earth that Came Home for Dinner
Evidence is growing for the existence of Planet 9 — a world perhaps 10 times the mass of Earth and 20 times farther from the Sun than Neptune.
Mysterious Dimming of Tabby’s Star May Be Caused by Dust
One of the most mysterious stellar objects may be revealing some of its secrets at last.
Is it a bird?

Human spaceflight and robotic exploration image of the week: Is it a bird? Is it a Space Station? It is both …
Sentinel-5P sealed from view

As preparations for the launch of Sentinel-5P continue on track, the team at Russia’s Plesetsk site has bid farewell to the satellite as it was sealed from view in the Rockot fairing. Liftoff is set for 13 October at 09:27 GMT (11:27 CEST).
Antenna test zone

Technology image of the week: ESA’s cavernous Hertz test chamber will be on show to the public during Sunday’s Open Day in the Netherlands
Gravitational wave researchers win Nobel Prize
Three American physicists have won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for their contribution to detecting gravitational waves.
A cheaper way to stock up in space
A NASA mission is sponsoring undergraduate research to test space-based manufacturing.
Sputnik-1
Celebrating 60 years of the Space Age
Symmetry and piezoelectricity: evaluation of α-quartz coefficients
Piezoelectric coefficients of α -quartz are derived from symmetry arguments based on Neumann’s
principle using three different methods: Fumi, Landau–Lifshitz and Royer–Dieulesaint. While the Fumi
method is tedious and the Landau–Lifshitz met…
Cusp singularity in mean field Ising model
The entropy of the Ising model in the mean field approximation is derived by the Hamilton–Jacobi
formalism. We consider a grand canonical ensemble with respect to the temperature and the external
magnetic field. A cusp arises at the critical point,…

